starsandskies

I got to spend the 2011-2012 summer season (Oct-Feb) down at McMurdo Station on Ross Island. I was employed as a vehicle operator, ferrying researchers to nearby sites, pilots to the airfield and workers around the town. Driving around so much provided a few precious opportunities to catch glimpses of the things that could actually survive in Antarctica. But by and large the surface was a barren, desolate place devoid of life. Almost all of the action was hidden under the ice, where life was in abundance. I very much would have liked to experience that world!

The two adelie penguins above were cruising along the ice road that leads to the airfield. Where the were coming from is a mystery to me, since behind them is a vast expanse of nothing all the way to the South Pole, but they seemed to be heading for a nearby crack in the ice that would lead them - hopefully - to some tasty food.